KARACHI: Sharing their clinical observations and data gathered during medical camps organised in four desert-belt districts over the past four years, speakers at a seminar held on 13th August underscored the need to integrate mental health into primary care services and initiate telepsychiatry services at rural health centres.
Organised by the Sindh Mental Health Authority (SMHA) at the PMA House, the event also marked the launch of a report highlighting the authority’s efforts in setting up the camps and providing much-needed treatment to a large population residing in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar and Khairpur between 2022 and 2025.
Speaking at the event, experts said the camps were designed for the general population, with a strong emphasis on women and adolescent girls, who face disproportionate barriers to mental healthcare due to poverty, cultural restrictions and inaccessibility of services.
The audience was informed that more than 4,570 individuals had received free psychiatric consultations, diagnoses, treatment, psychosocial support and medication during the initiative, which was guided by a council of advisers comprising senior mental health experts, public health professionals, development specialists and community leaders, who ensured strategic direction, technical oversight and cultural sensitivity in service delivery.
Experts call for integration of mental health into primary care
The clinical data collected during the camps showed that depression (34.7 percent) was the most common disorder, followed by intellectual disability (11.9pc), anxiety disorders (11.3pc), epilepsy (9.02pc), somatoform/conversion disorders (8.61pc) and substance use disorders (4.0pc).
“This model proves that with dedication, strategic partnerships and data-driven planning, mental health services can reach even the most remote and neglected communities. The data collected in the camps will help guide future policies and improve mental health programmes,” said SMHA Chairman Senator Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja.
He appreciated all those involved in the collaborative effort, stating that field staff and district-level focal persons had coordinated on-ground logistics, identified camp locations, mobilised communities and ensured smooth operations before and during the clinics.
The report recommends training lady health visitors and teachers in basic mental health screening and referral, expanding awareness campaigns to reduce stigma and promote early help-seeking, collecting district-wise mental health data for planning and resource allocation, and ensuring cross-sector collaboration.
It also calls for strengthening referral pathways to secondary and tertiary psychiatric care, developing gender-sensitive programmes targeting women and adolescent girls, and enforcing the Child Marriage Restraint Act through community-level advocacy.
Furthermore, it urges official recognition of historically marginalised communities, particularly Scheduled Castes/Dalits, to strengthen their protection against discrimination and ensure equal access to education, employment and political participation.
According to SMHA officials, mental health experts from leading institutions — including Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dow University of Health Sciences, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Karachi, Thar Foundation, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, Sukkur, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Peoples’ Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences, Sehwan, Institute of Clinical Psychology Karachi, Psychology Department of the University of Sindh and Sir Cowasjee Institute of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences — volunteered for the camps.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2025